Big Sister Gracie
by Little Christian
Summary: Someone new comes to the zoo, and Gracie wants to be big sister. But an encounter with someone she's not too familiar with leads to finding out who her real parents are.
1. Chapter 1

**My new story! :D Hope you enjoy it!**

It was a normal day for the nine penguins of Central Park Zoo. Right now, they were entertaining the visitors, smiling and waving, belly-sliding, and being one hundred per cent adorable – especially the chicks. Rusty and Ace swam around in the pool. Cam, afraid of water, kept close to the centre of the fake ice-burg, and just waved. Cleo and Gracie danced around, holding flippers, and the audience loved it, throwing fish for them to eat. Eventually, the crowd thinned, and the penguins were left to enjoy their fish.

"Good work today, soldiers," Skipper said with a satisfactory sigh. "We've gotten more fish since the chicks started joining with the cute and cuddliness."

"What'll happen when we're all grown up, and not so cute?" Cam asked.

"I dunno."

"We'll have a crowded enclosure, and some of us might be transferred," Kowalski said, after some quick calculations with his abacus.

"I don't what that to happen!" Gracie cried.

"Or Alice will have our habitat expanded."

"That sounds much better…"

"Speaking of transfer," Private began, then pointed to Alice, who was carrying a fairly small crate towards their habitat.

"What the deuce?" Skipper questioned, rubbing his beak. "What kind of penguin is that small?"

"No idea," Kowalski replied. "But I have a feeling we'll soon find out."

Alice placed the crate in the middle of the habitat, and the younger penguins crowded around curiously.

"I couldn't even fit in that," Gracie remarked. Alice used a crowbar to open it, and left. The four older penguins peered inside.

"You're kidding me, right?" Skipper asked when he saw the contents.

"What it is?" Ace asked.

"We've done this already," Kowalski added.

"What? Done what?" Cleo asked.

"You'd think we'd have no room left," Private stated.

"No room where?" Rusty persisted. Cam had enough of this, and squeezed between Kowalski and Rico to see.

"Cool!" she cried.

"What is it? What is it?" the other four chicks cried. The pushed past their fathers and looked inside.

"Whoa!" Ace and Rusty exclaimed simultaneously.

"Another one?" Cleo asked, laughing.

"Daddy, we have to keep it!" Gracie cried clapping her flippers, and jumping up and down excitedly.

"What do you think, Skippah?" Private asked.

"I don't see why not," Skipper replied, pulling out the small, round egg which was nestled in the crate.


	2. Chapter 2

All the chicks crowded around to see.

"I've never seen a real penguin egg before!" Cleo breathed, fascinated, and immediately began drawing it.

"Private, you're on egg duty," Skipper said.

"Why me, sir?" Private asked, as Skipper handed him the egg.

"Because you're so good at it, of course."

"Daddy! Daddy! Can I help look after it?" Gracie asked.

"I don't know. You're not quite old enough yet-"

"But, Daddy, I'll be ever so responsible, and I'll take such good care of it! Please, Daddy?" Please?" she begged.

"Well…" Private turned to Skipper, who shrugged. "Alright, then."

"Thank you, Daddy!" Gracie cried, taking the egg and cradling it. "And when it hatches it can be my little brother or sister!"

"No, it can be my brother or sister," Cam said.

"But you have a brother!" Gracie protested.

"Yeah, and he didn't turn out so well," Cam replied.

"I heard that, Cam!" Ace snapped.

"I'm not having a fight on this ice burg, kids," Skipper said sternly. "Take this inside; it'll be good for your training." Ace and Cam scrambled inside the HQ, and soon shouts were heard, and furniture was knocked over.

"Are you sure that was a good idea, sir?" Kowalski asked anxiously.

"Oh, sure, they'll be fine," Skipper said confidently, when a large crash, and glass shattered. "Maybe we should go check on them." He and Rico slipped down into the HQ.

During the next few days, Gracie hadn't let the egg out of her sight. When she ate breakfast, the egg was there; when she drew with her crayons, the egg was there. When she went to bed – well, Private said to leave the egg in the crib at night – but she constantly slipped out of bed to check on it.

"Daddy, why hasn't the egg hatched yet?" she asked anxiously one day. Private was helping Kowalski glue together some test tubes the twins broke when they fought the first day the egg came.

"Probably not ready to, Grace," Private replied absentmindedly.

"When will it hatch?"

"I don't know. Might be another week, might be another month. Perhaps several months."

"I can't wait a whole month!" Gracie whined, leaving the table to go topside. She left the egg on the table.

"Instead of always thinking about that egg, why don't you come with us for snow cones?" Rusty asked.

"Okay!" Gracie agreed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the next chapter! :D**

When they returned from their snow cone run, Gracie gasped when the egg was not where she left it.

"The egg is missing!" she screamed, dropping her unfinished snow cone, and searching the HQ.

"What's all the commotion?" Skipper asked, coming in from the chicks' room.

"The egg is gone," Ace explained.

"You're right, the egg is gone," Skipper confirmed. "But it's not missing." Gracie looked up from the floor in confusion.

"What do you mean, Uncle Skippah?" she asked.

"I mean it hatched while you were gone."

"You mean I missed it?!" Gracie cried, rushing into the chicks' room, and peering into the crib. Inside was a fluffy, down-covered hatchling, fast asleep. His feathers were so soft, Gracie felt they were almost air. Her heart melted; she'd never seen anything so adorable.

"What's its name?" she whispered to Private.

"Him," Private corrected. "I thought you would want to name him." He smiled. Gracie ran through the list of names she had thought up over the week; James, Aaron, Lucas, Tyler. These were all great names, but none of them suited this dear little baby.

"I'll have to think about that," she said.

When the baby finally woke up in the later afternoon, Gracie was amazed at his eyes; they were amber, but looked almost gold in the right light.

"He's so sweet!" she cooed.

"Shame he has not name," Cam laughed. "He'll be referred to as only the 'baby' if you don't name his soon."

"Give me time; I'll think of something," Gracie insisted.

That night, she stood by the crib side, watching him breathe slowly, and steadily.

"What is your name?" she whispered. "Can you tell me in any way?" She yawned, and climbed into her own bed, falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The next morning, Gracie sat cradling the hatchling on the ice-burg, watching the sun rise over the buildings.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she asked him.

"Yes, it sure is," a gruff, yet kind voice above her agreed. Gracie gasped, and looked up, seeing a tall, muscular penguin standing over her.

"Who are you?" she asked somewhat nervously.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you," the penguin reassured her. "Is this the egg?"

"Yes, well, he's from the egg," Gracie replied.

"Did you're egg look similar to his?"

"It did," Private answered, as he came out of the HQ. "Who are you, sir, and what do you want with my daughter?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, mister," the other penguin replied. "I'm Salmon – though, you may call me Sal – and I believe this young penguin is _my _daughter."

**Dun, dun, duuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnah! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

"What are you talking about?" Skipper, who had been listening, and just emerged, asked.

"I'm saying this is my daughter. My wife had an egg, but we lost it in a blizzard. When we were looking for it, we saw the humans taking it, and saw on the crate label a zoo picture. When my wife had this egg, we let the humans take it, saw the same picture, and I tracked it down hoping to find our first egg, too.

"How did you track it down?" Gracie asked. By now, the rest of the penguins were up, and listening.

"I put a microchip on the egg. I'm a relatively smart bird, and I managed to create it, and a homing device to find it again. I always wondered if our first child inherited my brains. I have been able to learn to read, and write."

_So that's why… _Gracie thought.

"My wife is desperate for me to get home. But I was wondering… Did these other four come at the same time?"

"Their eggs?" Skipper asked. "Yeah, why?"

"We know three other couples who had eggs – one couple had twins – and they all went missing, too."

"Don't tell me," Cam groaned. You're all going to move into our already-crowded habitat."

"No, but I can help you with the habitat issue," Sal replied.

"How?"

"You six chicks are coming to Antarctica with me. How's that sound? Fun?" The chicks starred at him like he grew a second head.

"Are you kidding me?" Rusty asked. "I wouldn't leave New York to go to some icy wilderness!"

"My Lab is here!" Cleo complained.

"What about training with Dad?" Cam and Ace asked at the same time.

"And the snow cones!" Gracie added. "And… and… snow cones!"

"Plenty of snow," Sal tried to persuade, not really knowing what snow cones were. Gracie crossed her flippers over her chest, scowling.

"No. I won't go."

"Me neither," Cleo said.

"And we won't, either," Cam, Ace and Rusty agreed. Sal looked extremely agitated, but kept his cool.

"You must come, chicks. My wife and I really want you home."

"_NO!_"

The chicks went for snow cones later that day, while the adults discussed the situation. Julian, Mort, and Maurice went with them.

"Little cutie penguin," Julian said at one point. "You are not looking so cutie as you are gloomy."

"I don't want to talk," Gracie muttered.

"Then can I have your snow-y cone?" Julian asked, pointing. Gracie sighed, handing it to him, and starred back to the zoo. What decision will the grown-ups make?"

**To find out, please review! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**And ths chapter!**

As they came closer to the habitat, the chicks dreaded the grown-ups' choice.

"What if they make us go?" Cleo fretted, nibbling her flippers. Gracie took her flipper in her own to stop her.

"If they do, we'll fight 'em!" Cam growled, punching her fist into her flipper.

"And after that, we'll run away!" Ace added, to which Cam agreed.

"I don't see any problem with running away," Rusty said thoughtfully. "But can we fight our dads? Wouldn't knock-out gas bombs work better?"

"Do you have any?" Cam asked, teasingly.

"I've almost got the regurgitating thing perfected!" he protested. "Let me show you!" He demonstrated, and succeeded, but not in the way he intended. Ace turned green, Cleo and Gracie gagged, and turned away, while Cam laughed.

"If that were you, you wouldn't be laughing," Cleo snapped. Rusty wiped his beak, and sighed.

"That did not go according to plan," he moaned.

They entered the HQ, and found the adults already waiting.

"We're staying here, right?" Cam asked hopefully. "_Please _tell me we're staying here!"

"Well, we're not your rightful parents," Kowalski began.

"Nuh-uh…" Rico added sadly.

"And your rightful parents are still alive, so you're not orphans," Kowalski continued.

"I'd rather be at this point," Ace muttered.

"So we came to the conclusion that you must go back with your rightful parents," he finished. All the chicks groaned, and the hatchling gave a small, sad squeak. Ace and Cam exchanged glances, and made a silent agreement, which they would inform the others of later. In the meantime, they were forced to get to know Gracie's 'real dad', and pack up their few belongings.

After dinner, as they packed, they closed the door to their room, and spoke in whispers.

"Alright, we have a plan," Cam said, looking to Ace, who nodded. Her eyes were red; a rare thing for Cam. "We'll carry it out tonight, late, when everyone else is asleep."

"What are we going to do?" Rusty asked, and the twins explained it all.

"Wha about the baby?" Gracie asked anxiously.

"Him, too."

Late that night - or should I say early that morning – Cam and Ace woke up the other three. Gracie, who had hardly any sleep from crying, burst into tears again as she wrapped the unnamed baby in a warm blanket and put him in Cleo's backpack to carry. They took nothing else, except a few small fish, and an extra blanket, and they silently slipped out the fish-bowl door, and into the cold night air.

"We hope to be in the next state sometime next week," Ace said.

"That probably won't happen," Cleo pointed out.

"Alright, sometime next month."

"Where are we going exactly?" Gracie whispered, as they belly-slid through Central Park.

"Anywhere but here," Cam replied abruptly.

**Please review! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Another one!**

"Couldn't we have just hid in the souvenir shop, and never come out?" Cleo asked after several hours of walking. Gracie shivered next to her, and Cleo wrapped the extra blanket around her. Rusty was now carrying the backpack with the baby in it.

"Let's rest here," Cam suggested, as they entered an alley, and climbed into a cardboard box that was on its side. Rusty took off the backpack, took out the baby, and handed him to Gracie, who held him tenderly. Cleo wrapped the blanket over all of them, and they rested, snuggling together and soon fell asleep in the box in the alley.

Rusty was the first awake, and he heard familiar voices. One was commanding, one was British, and one made no sense at all.

"Dad!" he exclaimed, sitting up suddenly, and waking the others. The penguins were just walking past the alley, when Rico heard him.

"Rusty!" he shouted, pointing to the alley. The penguins reached them, and looked so relieved.

"Why did you do it?" Private asked as he scooped up Gracie, hatchling and all.

"We don't want to go to Antarctica," she said abruptly, crossing her flippers, and looking away.

"But you have to," Private said. "I know you don't want to, but you're real parents want you back."

"How do you know that Salmon person is really my father?" she asked.

"I ran DNA tests on his and your feathers," Kowalski explained. "They're a match, and he's your dad."

"Which means he wouldn't be lying," Skipper continued. "Kowalski also did a lie-detector test on him." Gracie looked at Private with tear-filled eyes.

"Don't you love us anymore?" she whimpered. Private hugged her tighter.

"Of course we do," he said. "But it's best for you to go with your real parents." Gracie wriggled form Private's grasp, and backed away to the other chicks.

"No," she said sternly, her eyes determined.

"Gracie, please be reasonable," Private begged.

"No," Gracie repeated. "I'd rather wander the city with my friends, then go to a strange land with a strange person, and live with strange people."

"But you got to know Sal at dinner last night," Kowalski protested.

"No we didn't," Cleo snapped. "We don't wish to know him, therefore did not get to know him."

"Stop acting like this, and come home now!" Skipper ordered. Usually the chicks never disobeyed an order from Skipper, but this time they exchanged glances, glared at the grown-ups, and took off in the opposite direction, full speed.

**Please review! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter seven. (Finally figured out how many... XD)**

If there wasn't a more daring thing those chicks could have done in that moment, than to run away again. They zigzagged through the streets, dodging the traffic and pedestrians, going through alleys, and taking back paths, hoping to lose the adults. They didn't grow tired, they didn't get hungry, or thirsty, they just kept going.

"Don't stop!" Ace urged them. "Don't stop until we're out of the city!" It didn't take them long to leave the city, and they still kept going, belly-sliding as fast as they could, until they finally grew tired, and stopped to rest under a tree. They ate their fish, and wished they took more.

"Was this really such a good idea?" Gracie asked anxiously, after a few minutes of catching their breath.

"What else could we have done? Go with that stranger?" Cam replied. Gracie kept silent. Suddenly, the hatchling began crying.

"What's wrong with him?" Cleo asked.

"He's hungry!" Gracie replied. "Rusty, think you can regurgitate some food for him? You're the only one who can – kinda – do it."

"I'll try," Rusty sighed, and did so, until the baby fell quiet, satisfied, and full.

"Thanks," Gracie said, as she took him back. "What is his name?" she asked, more to herself than to anyone.

"What if we don't find a place to live, and have to wander forever?" Rusty asked a few minutes later.

"Well, don't blame me, because it's all Cam's fault!" Ace snapped.

"Yeah, but you had the idea of running away!" Cam shot back.

"I thought you were kidding when you said we'd fight our dads! I didn't expect us to actually do it!"

"Have I ever joked about something like this before? NO! I haven't!"

"Yes, and it's because of your non-joking that we're in this mess!"

"Yeah, Cam, this is a dangerous situation," Cleo agreed. "We're lost, we don't know where we are, we have no food, no shelter, no means of transportation, and our dads are probably just about ready to kill us for being so stupid!"

"What else were we supposed to do?" Cam asked sharply.

"Go with our dads' decision, of course," Rusty put in.

"Oh, yeah, and they're not even our 'rightful parents'!"

"WILL YOU ALL JUST BE QUIET?!" Gracie screamed, standing up in front of them. Everyone stared at her, and she flopped on the ground, crying. The chicks looked at each other anxiously, realising this was not the time to fight.

"I want to just go home," Gracie sobbed. "Whether that's Antarctica, or the zoo; I don't care! I want to go home." Cam sat down next to her, placing her flippers over her shoulders.

"We'll get home… somehow," she said sadly.

"If you're so smart," Ace began, but Cleo gave him a dirty look, and he shut his beak.

"The only way I see that we can get home is by our dads finding us," Cleo stated. "I don't even know which way we came from anymore."

"It's simple!" Rusty said suddenly, pointing to their left. "We find the city in the distance!"

**Please review! :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter eight.**

As they slowly walked back to the city, the chicks realised they had forgotten their extra blanket, and the backpack back in the alley.

"Not that it matters," Cleo said, after she pointed it out. "I just thought I should tell you." She shrugged.

"And I still haven't figured out his name," Gracie added, referring to the amber-eyed chick in her flippers.

"We'll figure that out later, for now let's get home!" Ace said, as they started to belly-slid.

"How do we find home?" Rusty wondered aloud.

"Anyone remember what path we took?" Cam asked. Everyone shook their heads, and she sighed. "Didn't think so…"

"Maybe this is all just a crazy dream, and it's not really happening!" Rusty suggested. He pinched himself hard.

After a few moments, he opened his eyes, the four other chicks looking down at him.

"Was I right?" he mumbled. "Was it a dream?"

"No," Cam said, shaking her head. "You just hit your head on that fruit cart back there, because you forgot to duck. You were too busy pinching yourself." She offered him a flipper, and Rusty took it, and sat up.

"Is that why my head aches?" he moaned, rubbing his head.

"Fruit cart," Gracie said suddenly. "How many fruit carts did we see?" she asked.

"Only one," Cleo replied, after a moment of thought.

"What was it selling?"

"Oranges, for a dollar, why?"

"That fruit cart Rusty hit his head on was selling oranges for a dollar!" Gracie said, getting excited. "And we saw it not too far from the alley!" She started waddling off. "Come on, guys!" Rusty got to his feet, and the four followed after Gracie.

After a few minutes, they found the alley.

"Here it is!" Gracie cried. "There's the box – I recognise the label – and here's your backpack, Cleo!" She held up the bag. "And we're not that far from the zoo! I think I remember the way!"

"You sure?" Cleo asked, taking the backpack, and placing the still-unnamed hatchling inside.

"Positive!" Gracie confirmed.

"Lead the way, Grace!" Cam said, and they followed her as she belly-slid towards the zoo.

"See! See! There's Central Park!" Gracie exclaimed, a few hours later. "Come on!"

"Wait, Cam cried, putting a flipper on her shoulder. "What if our dads don't want us back? What if they hate us now that we've run away?" Gracie's face fell, and Cam realised she said the wrong thing.

"I don't know about Uncle Skipper, and the rest, but I do know Daddy – I mean, Private – won't ever hate me." She turned, and belly-slid to the zoo. The other three followed, but Cam stayed behind.

**PLease review! :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**The final chappie! Hope you liked! :D**

The four entered the fish-bowl door, and found the five adult penguins sitting around the table. They looked up, and smiles brightened their gloomy faces when they saw them.

"You're home!" Private cried, as she ran and scooped up Gracie. The other fathers did likewise with their adopted children. She clung to him like she'd never let go, sobbing into his feathers. "I knew you'd come back!"

"And I knew you'd still love me," Gracie replied. Then she looked over his shoulder to Salmon, who had a sad smile on his face. She wriggled down from Private's grasp, and walked over to him, holding out her flipper.

"If you still want to take me back to Antarctica, then you can," she whispered. He took her small flipper in his larger one, and smiled more.

"No," he said. "I would like you home, but I see you have such a beautiful relationship with your adopted father. So I think you should stay here."

"But what about your wife?" Gracie asked.

"I'll tell her, and our friends I found you," he said. "And who knows? We may come visit you sometime."

"That would be nice."

"Wait a minute!" Skipper suddenly exclaimed. "Where's Cam?!"

"She thought you wouldn't love us anymore," Ace explained. "So… she didn't come…" Skipper put him down, and rushed out the door. "I'll be right back!"

Cam stared at the zoo for several moments, and sighed. She couldn't go back; Skipper would never forgive her. She sighed again, and turned to leave. She had only gone a few small steps when she heard shouting behind her. She turned to see Skipper belly-sliding as fast as he could towards her. He ran right into her, and scooped her up in his arms, hugging her tightly.

"How could you think I wouldn't love you anymore?" he asked.

"It was stupid, running away like that," Cam admitted. "But we didn't want to go to Antarctica."

"You're not," Skipper explained, as he put her down, and she held his flipper, and they walked back to the zoo. "Sal says he won't take you, but he and his wife, and his friends will visit sometime."

"That would be great!" Cam remarked. "I get to meet my real parents, and stay at the zoo with you."

"What about – he still has no name – the hatchling?" Gracie asked as they ate dinner together. "Do you want to take him back, at least?" She glanced over to the crib, where he was fast asleep.

"Antarctica is cold, and harsh and young chicks don't often survive," Sal said. "I think he'd be safest here, though my wife – her name is Marine, by the way – and I will miss seeing him grow up."

"At least come with her while he's still a baby!" Gracie begged. "She has to see him like this; he's so sweet!"

"We'll do our best, sweet," Sal laughed.

"What are our parents' names?" Ace and Cam asked.

"Your father is called Kelp, and your mother is Aqua."

"And mine?" Cleo asked.

"Ramsey, and Nefertiti – though, she's mostly referred to as Nef." He turned to Rusty. "And as for your parents; your father was called Alpha – he died in a leopard seal attack, I'm sorry to say – and your mother is Veronica. I'm sure they will all be excited to meet you."

"I'm excited to meet them," Cleo said, with a little laugh. "Isn't it funny? My name is Cleopatra; and Egyptian queen, and my parents are Nefertiti, and Ramsey, also Egyptian kings and queens. You didn't happen to know anything of this, Dad?" she asked Kowalski. Kowalski shrugged, and shook his head.

**Hey; quick author's note update. As you can see, I have left the new hatchling unnamed! O_O But I have afew ideas; go to my profile, and take my poll. It closes on the 28th. Thanks! :D**


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